What challenges women face everyday working as an architect?

Hello Keira, Unfortunately there are males out there amongst us that feel women are not as qualified. I can say I am not one of them. I served in the Army and seen women out preform men everyday. I also have a strong opinionated wife with two little girls 11 &2 who I hope do not face that type of oppression. If they do I know my wife and I have taught them not to give in to them but be bigger. I’ve been watching this question for a week hopeful that a female architect could answer your question.

I am very impressed about how aware you are of social issues in the work place but I feel you shouldn’t worry about that as a primary challenge in architecture. Architecture is a design field where many female architects have been successful like Zaha Hadid. Research her and other female Architects for an inspiration. I suggest focusing on you and your goal of being an architect. Draw and design something constantly. Don’t let they naysayers rent space in your head.

I hope I gave you some encouraging information. Good luck in your future endeavors!

Hello Keira! I am a licensed architect in the state of Florida. I mostly design hospitals. The challenges I face as a female architect, I believe, are the same challenges any professional women, or man, face: Work life balance, professional growth opportunities, and fair pay. I currently serve in a leadership position at my firm and have some understanding of promotion opportunities and pay scale for our firms employees. I know I am paid fairly and competitively and I have been promoted in advance of some of my peers, male and female. While you are correct that architecture may be perceived as a man's profession even today, in the field itself the professionals are very welcoming and even seek out diversity. Its a 50/50 split of men to women in our education system (which is a path of either a 5 year Bachelors' degree or a Masters degree). The ratio of licensing after this drops to 28% women of the women getting licensed; its assumed because of the timing - the licensing process can take 3-5 years and most people start families by the time they're done spending their 20's in school. Some women simply choose to change their priorities after this. The career is demanding - its incredibly difficult to control when creativity will come, and equally as difficult to stop the excitement of it when you're solving a design problem. This complexity, which most designers find exhilirating, can be a major factor in poor work life balance and elevated stress of the job. However, more architecture firms these days recognize this and are accomodating designers and architects with flexible work schedules and equipping them with the abilities to work remotely/from home. As with any career, fair pay and promotion opportunities are always a concern, but I can testify that advocating for yourself, outperforming your peers and keeping track of your personal progress are all noticed by good firm leaders. If a female (or male) architect were to find themself in a firm that didn't recognize it, then find a better one! Good luck with your career choices and I do hope you strongly consider the rewarding career of architect!

The hardest part is simply being a woman and having the same kinds of multiple responsibilities as any woman would in any career. Although men are much more aware of splitting family responsibilities and chores than they used to be, much of housework and child care still falls on the women. You may be working and competing against men who have stay at home wives. This is compounded if you are single and have a house and yard! To make matters worse, architecture is a profession where there is frequently a lot of overtime required. Finding work-life balance is always a struggle. However, it is an interesting career where you are constantly learning. There are multiple niches within the profession for multiple personality types and skill sets. As a Hispanic woman, you will find opportunities as offices work for diversity. You will also find challenges. I believe the profession is much more open to women than it was when I began. This is pretty general. However on a professional level- communication is key. Learning to communicate verbally person to person is important, presenting designs may require some public speaking, written communication and graphic communication via drawings, sketches, construction documents are critical parts of being an architect. Learning to negotiate is important. You will also find that an ability to teach yourself is vital - there is so much to learn and then have to apply. Creating relationships within and outside the profession is important because it is a profession with boom/bust business cycles. Finally, reading comprehension is important. The construction codes are written in convoluted language sometimes and business contracts have a lot of legalese and fine print. Both require careful and multiple readings for full comprehension. My best suggestion is to see if you could work in an office or offices to see if you like it. This may be a challenge as you may not have any pertinent skill sets yet, but it would also help you see which ones would align with your natural talents.

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